Colleagues, As we wind down this difficult school year, and await the report of the Fact Finder appointed by the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to help resolve our stalled negotiations for a successor contract, here’s the third installment of our analysis and commentary on the Rochester City School District’s finances. During formal hearings on May 7th and May 13th, the District testified to the PERB Fact Finder about the District’s budget. The meetings were scheduled to address the impasse in the stalled negotiations for a successor contract between the RTA and the RCSD. At both of these sessions, according to a New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) fiscal expert engaged by RTA, the District’s testimony and financial documents included troubling misrepresentation of the District’s funds, the District’s fund balance, state aid levels, and guidelines for permissible use of the additional State and Federal funds. Peter Applebee, who served as Deputy Director of the NYS...